The Taming of a Wild Child (8 page)

Sneaking out like that made her feel as if she had done something wrong, something she regretted, and that really wasn’t the case. But she was darned sure she didn’t want to do the morning-after bit. Not with Donovan, at least. They’d agreed it was just about the sex, and she was okay with that, because she wasn’t looking for anything more. She had too much on her plate at the moment to get involved with anyone beyond a physical thing. She needed to focus—not look for distractions—but she had to admit Donovan had been an excellent stress-reliever.

Even sweaty and sore-footed, she felt better than she had in quite a while. She’d needed last night, needed that release.

Her feet were dying as she got to the sidewalk in front of her house, and she slipped the shoes off before climbing the stairs to her porch. The blast of air-conditioning that greeted her felt even better. Dropping her stuff, she headed straight for the shower and then into bed.

As she closed her eyes she realized the stress relief hadn’t been just physical. Last night’s surrealism, that step
outside of the norm, had been exactly what she needed. And that was all Donovan.

How very disturbing
.

Yeah, she’d done the right thing by getting out of there. She really didn’t need the complication.

L
ORELEI SMILED ALL THE
way through the awards dinner, applauded politely as the names were called, and gave a simple yet heartfelt speech on Vivi’s behalf as she received a plaque for her gallery’s support of young and upcoming artists. Where Vivi would find room to hang the plaque was an excellent question, as the walls of her office were already lined with dozens of other awards of appreciation.

She ran her fingers over Vivi’s name and felt a small twinge of regret. If only she could send a message back in time to her younger self, explaining how not all attention was good attention, that infamy was not the same as respect, and that there was such a thing as a permanent record—at least in people’s minds—it might be her name on that plaque instead of Vivi’s.
One day …

She’d accepted the fact she’d never be the saint Vivi was a long time ago, but she was slowly making inroads, repairing the damage. This insane schedule had its benefits. She would have met pretty much every single important person in New Orleans by the time Vivi returned. Not that she didn’t know them already, but there was a difference in knowing someone socially and seeing them as a professional.
That
was her goal.

They’d know her face—know her interest and her desire to serve.

She set Vivi’s latest dust-catcher on the table in front of her and stifled a yawn. Functioning on about five hours of sleep was not easy—especially when that five hours hadn’t been consecutive. She’d barely lain down for a much-needed nap this morning before her phone had started ringing. After running to the studio to sort out a problem, she’d barely gotten home in time to shower and come here. She could do Vivi’s life or she could do hers. Doing both just might kill her.

Ten more days. She could make it ten more days.

Of course, she needed to make it through the next ten
minutes
without falling asleep first. Snoring on the table would make
such
a good impression, practically advertising to the world that she’d been out all night.

And, oh, what a night …

She felt herself starting to smirk and quickly reschooled her face into an expression of polite interest. Out of the corner of her eye, she scanned the ballroom. Donovan had said he might come, but she hadn’t seen him yet.

That was probably a good thing. She wasn’t a very good actress, and her little secret would be obvious to everyone. Since she was trying to live down a reputation—not enforce her old one—that would not be good. Plus she was still feeling a bit bad about sneaking out this morning without saying goodbye, and she still hadn’t figured out how she was supposed to interact with Donovan now. They weren’t friends, but they were certainly more than casual acquaintances. Who would have thought that things could get
more
awkward?

Yeah, she was very glad he wasn’t here. She had a job to do, and thinking about last night would not make it any easier.

The awards and speeches finally ended, giving her the opportunity to get up and walk around. The movement
helped wake her up, and shaking hands and making small talk proved boring but kept her alert. At the bar, she ordered a club soda.

Tipping the bartender, she turned to find Julie Cochran, who’d only recently moved back to town as she fought through a bitter and nasty divorce, right behind her.

“I’m fine,” Julie insisted when Lorelei offered condolences—and alcohol, if needed.

When Julie exhaled, the Scotch on her breath told Lorelei she was a little late for that.

“The lying, cheating bastard is going to pay dearly for his inability to keep his pants on. My lawyer won’t settle for less than a damn nice settlement and nearly half of his salary for my humiliation and pain.”

She and Julie had never been particularly close, so this seemed like information she shouldn’t be privy to. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “Wow. Amazing. Remind me to call you if I ever need a recommendation for an attorney.”

“Three words, sweetie.
Prenuptial agreement
. Make sure there’s a penalty for adultery.”

Lorelei wasn’t sure if
prenuptial agreement
counted as three words or two, but she nodded anyway.

“Let me give you some more advice. Learn from my mistake. If a man is marrying up by marrying you,
run
. Dump him. He’ll never truly respect you, and will only come to resent you for it.”

That was a little more than expected
.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good.” Julie patted her arm. “You’re probably the exact person I needed to run into tonight. Now that I’m back home, I really need some help.”

“Okay.” This was normally the kind of thing people
went to her sister for, but Lorelei was pleased to step up.
Inroads, indeed
. “How can I help?”

“Point me toward the single men.”

“Oh. Um …” That was unexpected. She glanced around the room. It wasn’t as if the eligible bachelors traveled in packs or anything, to make them easier to hunt. “Anyone in particular?”

“I don’t really care as long as he’s young, handsome and rich. Preferably good in bed, too.”

Lorelei nearly choked. To think Vivi was always accusing
her
of being too blunt or outrageous. Vivi would faint at Julie’s words.
No, Vivi would handle it with aplomb
. “The first three are easier to deduce than the last, Julie.”

“We’ll start with the ones I know. Mike Devereaux?”

“Sorry, he’s married.”

“John Howard?”

“Married.”

“Seth Ryland?”

“Gay.”

Julie’s eyebrows pulled together. “Really?”

Lorelei nodded.

“Well, that’s a pity.”

“Yeah.”

“Kyle Hamilton?”

“The Hamiltons lost all their money in the last crash.”

“Well, damn. Who
is
eligible?”

Lorelei scrambled for words as Julie ran through names like she was reading from the phonebook. This was getting quite uncomfortable. Even if she did have a viable suggestion, she’d feel dirty setting Julie loose on some unsuspecting man. Before she could come up with an answer, Julie grabbed her arm.

“Well, hel
-lo
, yummy goodness … Wait—is that Donovan St. James?”

Her head snapped to follow Julie’s line of sight. He had come after all. The fluttery sinking of her stomach at seeing him was complicated by a stab of possessiveness at the open lust on Julie’s face. She tried to keep her voice even. “Yes, it is.”

“He’s moving up nicely in the world. Who’d have thought it?”

Did Julie actually expect an answer?

The answer seemed to be no, as Julie moved on. “I’ve seen him on TV. He’s much hotter in person and he ticks all my boxes nicely.”

Now there was an uncomfortable stab of jealousy she didn’t care to examine. “Julie …”

“Lord, I’m not going to marry him. I just want to—”

She coughed, not wanting to hear the details. Donovan was the one guy on Julie’s list whose prowess Lorelei could attest to, and Julie was now drooling over him as if he was a tasty morsel she was ready to gobble up. Belatedly, she remembered Vivi saying Julie had always been a viperous bitch, but before she could extricate herself from the conversation and Julie’s clutches gracefully, Julie was dragging her across the ballroom.

“Introduce us.”

“You went to school with him for four years, Julie. You don’t really need an introduction.”

“But he wasn’t Donovan St. James back then.”

She dug her heels in and forced Julie to stop. “What?”

“Oh, you know what I mean.”

Lorelei had the sneaking suspicion that she did. It was tacky and calculating on Julie’s part. She didn’t have time to mull about it, though, as they were now just feet from Donovan and she was not ready to face him just yet. She didn’t have a plan in place. If there was ever a time to simply brazen through, now would be it.

To make things worse, Donovan was standing with Jack Morgan—possibly the only man Julie hadn’t had on her list. But then, there was some kind of bad blood between Julie and Jack that went back to their prom as far as she could tell. That was just going to make this even more fun.

She plastered a smile on her face. “Jack. Donovan. Good to see you both tonight.”

Donovan nodded at her, a short, sharp motion that implied complete uninterest in her, and her hackles went up a bit.

“That was a nice speech. Pass along my congratulations to your sister.”

Jack was giving the same short, uncomfortable nod in Julie’s direction, which she returned.
Well, this was just awkward all the way around
. Then he leaned in to kiss
her
cheek in greeting.

“Hi, there.”

There was something a little too intimate in Jack’s voice, and Lorelei felt like he was making a very premature claim with that kiss. She peeked at Donovan, but his face didn’t so much as move. Granted, it would be strange if she and Donovan suddenly seemed all chummy, but still … It was just
wrong
.

Julie cleared her throat, and Lorelei remembered why she was standing here. “Sorry. Donovan—do you remember Julie Cochran?”

“Hebert,” Julie corrected smoothly, extending her hand. “I’ve already taken back my name.”

Donovan shot Lorelei a look that she didn’t fully understand, but then turned to Julie. “From St. Katharine’s. Of course.”

Julie’s smile turned downright lustful, and Lorelei tried to swallow the urge to snatch those blond extensions right off her head.

Where did that come from?
It wasn’t as if she had dibs on Donovan or something. And Donovan was pretty much treating her like a complete stranger. It was more than a little galling, but not exactly something she could call him on in the middle of a ballroom.
Especially
since Julie had stepped between them, effectively removing both Lorelei and Jack from the conversation.

Jack didn’t seem to mind, though. He was now leaning in a little too close. “I tried to call you after you left last night.”

She forced her attention away from Donovan and Julie. Speaking to Jack last night seemed so very long ago. “I know. Sorry. I was so exhausted by the time I got home I just crashed. I didn’t get your message until this afternoon.” That wasn’t a flat-out lie: Jack didn’t need to know that it had taken her over ten hours to go approximately ten blocks.

“So, when can I take you out to dinner?”

Okay, Jack was asking her out on a date while she was close enough to Donovan to smell his aftershave. The smell alone was sending little tremors down her inner thighs. Her life really was a farce.

“I’m pretty much totally booked up until Vivi and Connor get back from their honeymoon. It’s a really crazy time.”

“Then as soon as they get back, I want on your calendar.”

Lorelei tried to smile and nod in a way that was polite without being committal.

“It must be tough for you. Stepping into Vivi’s shoes like that.”

Was that a jab? Or was she just oversensitive?
Damn, Donovan’s scent was driving her insane
. “Vivi has fabulous shoes, and thankfully we wear the same size.”

Julie threw her head back and laughed at something Donovan had said, and Lorelei was able to direct her attention to their conversation without seeming over-interested. She and Jack were being roundly excluded. In just a few minutes, Julie had moved in like an aircraft carrier, creating a no-fly zone around Donovan that said she’d shoot down any woman who dared come too close. Last night Jess; Julie tonight. Lorelei amended that list—first it had been Jess, then her, and now Julie. It seemed Donovan was a prime commodity these days.
He should get one of those “take a number” things
.

“Why don’t we go refresh your drink?” Jack said. “I think these two have some catching up to do.”

Lorelei nearly snorted. But Donovan wasn’t exactly fighting off Julie’s advances, and nor did he seem overly concerned with Jack’s rather proprietary hovering.

Fine
. She’d said last night that she didn’t expect anything from him, and he seemed to be taking that at face value. Rationally, she had no real cause to be irritated about it. They were nothing at all to each other. Repeating that fact to herself, she let Jack guide her away.

She spent the next hour making polite conversation with all the right people, and playing slightly dumb to Jack’s attempts to charm her straight into his bed. A week ago this would have been exactly what she wanted: the powerful and influential of New Orleans treating her as an equal player and a guy like Jack Morgan playing arm candy.

Jack Morgan: grandson of a former mayor, lawyer in his father’s firm. She’d known him—or at least his family—her entire life. His mother and her mother were in several clubs together. Handsome, stable, well-liked, from a good family … Jack was
exactly
the kind of man
everyone had expected her to pair up with. Just like every other girl she’d grown up with.

Vivi had almost bucked the rules by marrying a musician, but the Mansfields were literally the family next door—as old and established and respected as every other family in their social circle. No one had batted an eyelid when they’d ended up together.

She, though, had always dated outside her expected peer group—but she hadn’t strayed too far, because she didn’t want to give her grandmother a heart attack. She’d carefully chosen men just acceptable enough to protect her grandmother’s heart, but also unacceptable enough to keep people from expecting her to get serious with any of them. It had been a careful balancing act designed to let her have the most amount of fun with the minimum amount of hassle. It was just easier that way.

And now there was Jack Morgan. Her mother would be thrilled.

Why wasn’t
she
more thrilled?

Even examining him with a critical eye, she couldn’t come up with a complaint. Jack was a good catch. But there was no tingle, no excitement at the thought.

Mentally she ran through Julie’s recent list of eligible males, and found that none of them gave her even the slightest tingle.

Once again, the “right” thing held little or no interest for her. Hadn’t that been the story of her life? And wasn’t that exactly how she’d ended up here, hovering on the outskirts of her own society, trying to get back in like some high schooler who wanted to hang with the popular kids?